Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. II, Part 93

Author: Runk, J.M. & Co
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chambersburg, Pa.
Number of Pages: 1500

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In February, 1847, he removed to the farm called "Oakland," in Cedar Creek hun- dred, Sussex county, which he had purchased of Peter F. Causey, afterward- governor. In September, 1818, he was elected on the Dem-

ocratie ticket, to the state senate from Sussex county, and served in the session of 1849. He was elected to the speakership of the sen- ate in 1851, and also at an adjourned session, called for the purpose of passing the revised code of state laws.

After the adjournment of this session he removed to Milford, where he had purchased, enlarged, and improved the property at the north corner of Front and Walnut streets. Here he engaged in the coal and hunber bus- iness and the purchase and sale of real es- tate, which he continued for several years. Mr. Fiddeman was elected a director of the Delaware Railroad at its inception in 1853. Hle was president of the Milford Steamboat Company, incorporated by the legislature in 1853, which owned and operated a side wheeled steamer, plying between Milford and Philadelphia. The enterprise was not sue- cessful owing to the difficult navigation of the Mispillion. The president, by a resolu- tion of the stockholders, sold the steamer, set- tled the liabilities of the company, and dis- Inrsed among them the surplus funds, pro rata. Mr. Fiddeman was also a commis- sioner, appointed by the legislature, for the improvement of the navigation of Mispillion creek, and as treasurer, disbursed some $10,- 000. Ile was for sixteen years a director in the bank of Smyrna, representing its office of discount and deposit in Milford, and for a major part of that time alone, with power as a committee to discount paper, which was ex- creised with such discretion as to avoid the loss of a single dollar to the bank. This pos- ition he resigned after his re-election in 1876, and soon after, by a liberal subscription to the capital stock, assumed a leading part in the First National Bank of Milford, of which he was then made president. He was very ac- tive as one of the original directors of the Junction and Breakwater Railroad, and was at one time its president. In 1874 Mr. Fid- deman was again elected to the state senate, and appointed a connuissioner from Delaware to the International Exhibition at Philadel- phia, in 1876. He represented the Demo- cratie party in several state conventions, and upon one or more occasions as the presiding officer.

Mr. Fiddeman became a member of the Milton Presbyterian Church many years ago,

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and contributed liberally to its erection in 1851 and to its maintenance sinee, serving continuously as a trustee, and most of the time was president of the board. He was married in 1830 to Miss Eliza Aun Smoot of Dorchester county, Md. She was a member of the Presbyterian church for many years previous to her death, a most excellent and devoted christian lady. She died November 12, 1866, in her fifty-seventh year, and is interred in the Protestant Episcopal cemetery of Milford. The beautiful monument erect- ed to her memory bears this incription: "Erected to my beloved wife, Eliza A. Fid- deman-for thirty-six years my companion and support in the trials of life, and endeared by all the virtues that adorn the christian wife and mother. Free from the pain and sorrow of this earthly night she has entered into that perfect rest that cometh from the morning of eternal life." Col. Fiddeman has one child, Mrs. Mary E., widow of Dr. Mark G. Loffand, of Milford.

IIENRY G. WHITTOCK was born in Alkampton, Somersetshire, England, June 13, 1809. Ilis father, Benjamin Whittock, a farmer, was one of a family of three sons and six daughters: I. William; II. Joseph; III. Benjamin; IV. Sarah; V. Mrs. Sim- mons; VI. Elizabeth; VII. Miriam; VIII. Martha; IX. Ann.

The Whittocks are an old English family of means and standing, and had been land owners in Somersetshire for many genera- tions. Mr. Whittock had in his possession documents containing the family names as far back as 1745. He came to America, landing in New York city, March 25, 1832, and soon after commeneed farming in Phila- delphia county, Pa., near Fox Chase, how included in the city limits. He remained in that state till 1848, when he removed to Del- aware, settling in St. George's hundred. New Castle county. In 1853 he became a resident of Appoquinimink hundred, moving in 1558 to the "Hook" farm, where he remained. He was one of the model farmers of Delaware, and it may be mentioned as an unusual cir- emustance, that he chose to rent rather than to purchase land. He was remarkably suc- cessful and one of the most prosperous agri-

culturists in New Castle county. The farm under his care contained three hundred acres of upland and the same of marshland.

Mr. Whittock was originally an old line Whig, but latterly acted with the Democratic party. Hle was brought up in the Episcopal church, with which, however, he never unit- ed, and in 1837 joined the Presbyterian de- nomination. He was for twenty-four years a ruling elder in Drawyer's church at Odessa.

Henry G. Whittock was married in 1840 to Ann, daughter of George Stockdale, of Philadelphia, and half-sister of Hon. Joseph L. Caven, late president of the city council of that city. They had nine children: I. Henry Harrison, died in Philadelphia county, Penna., in his fourth year; II. Mary Eliza- beth, married Charles M. Matthews, and died in 1864 in her twenty-second year; III. Joseph, residing with his parents; IV. Robert Caven, farmer, near Middletown; V. Abra- ham Martin; VI. Alonzo Stockdale, farmer, near Mount Pleasant; VII. Ida Ann, married Mr. William II. West, of the eastern shore of Maryland; VIII. Henry Goodfellow; IX. George.

COL. SAMUEL BOYER DAVIS, son of John Davis and Elizabeth Boyer, his wife was born at Lewes, Sussex county, March 25, 1766. His father having been taken prisoner while serving in the Army of the Revolution, suffered so severely from the effects of bad treatment by the English that he died shortly after his release. His widow removing to Philadelphia about 1783, Sammel was placed in a counting house for a short time, but his inclinations being for a maritime life he went to sea for several years. During one of his voyages to France he met and married Rosa Elizabeth, daughter of Baron de Boisfontaine, a French nobleman, after which he served a short time as a captain in the French navy. The disturbed condition of France became so great, however, that he resigned, and return- ing about 1796, settled at New Orleans. He there served as "Capitaine del Porto" (Cap- tain of the Port) under the Spanish govern- ment, the then owners of Louisiana; the pos- ition being similar to that of collector of the port.

On the cession of Louisiana to the French

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in 1800, he became a "Fuge de Pain" of the parish of St. Bernard. He was also engaged in business, and particularly in sugar plant- ing, the raising of sugar cane having become very profitable. Having accumulated what was in those days a large fortune he retired from business.

On the breaking out of the war of 1812 he came North and offered his services to the goverment. Towards the close of 1812 the British government had declared the parts and harbors in the Chesapeake and Delaware bays in a state of vigorous blockade. The commander of the British fleet, Admiral Beresford, in March 1813, proceeded to levy contributions on the people inhabiting the shores of Delaware bay. This demand for provisions was sternly refused by the people and the officials. Benson J. Lossing, in his "Incidents of the War of 1812," says: "The spirit of the people thus manifested, aston- ished Beresford, and he held the thunders of his threat at bay for almost three weeks. The governor of Delaware in the meantime sum- moned the militia to the defence of menaced Lewistown. He reiterated the positive re- fusal of the inhabitants to furnish the in- vaders with supplies. Beresford continued to threaten and hesitate, but at length, on the 6th of April he sent Captain Byron with the Belridere and some smaller vessels to attack the village. They drew near, and the Bel- ridere sent several heavy rounds of shot into the town, with the expectation of terrifying the inhabitants into submission. These were followed by a flag of truce, bearing from Byron a renewal of the requisition. Colonel Davis in command of the gathering militia repeated the refusal, when Byron expressed a regret because of the misery he would be compelled to inflict on the women and chil- dren by a bombardment. Colonel Davis is a gallant man and will take care of the ladies,' was the verbal reply. A cannonade and bom- bardment followed this correspondence, and were continued for about twenty-two hours. So spirited was the response of a battery on an eminence worked by the militia that the must dangerous of the enemies gunboats was disabled, and its cannon silenced. Notwith- standing the British hurled full eight hun- dred of their eighteen and thirty-two pound shot into the town, and many shells and two

Congreve rockets were sent, the damage in- flieted was not severe. The shells did not reach the village, the rockets passed over it, but the heavy round shot injured many Houses. No lives were lost. An ample sup- ply of powder was sent down from Wilming- ton, while the industrions enemy supplied the balls from his guns. A large number of these were sent back with effeet. Unable to capture the town, the British attempted to land the next day, for the purpose of seizing live stock in the neighborhood. They were met with great spirit at the verge of the wa- ter, and driven back to their vessels. For a month longer they lingered, closely watched by the vigilant Davis, and then dropping down the coast seven miles below Lewistown, they attempted to supply themselves with fresh water from Newbold's ponds. Again they were driven to their ships. Failing to obtain supplies on the shores of the Dela- ware, the little blockading squadron sailed for Bermuda, where Admiral Warren was fitting out reinforcements for his feet in American waters."

So much pleased with the courage and skill shown by Colonel Davis, was Beresford, that he sent a flag of truce, desiring to make the acquaintance of so brave a man and skillful a soldier. This was accorded, and the two combatants, after an hour's pleasant conver- sation, mutually pleased with each other, and being, each, somewhat versed in painting, ex- changed water colored sketches; that given by Beresford being still in the possession of Colonel Davis' family.

Colonel Davis was badly wounded in this bombardment and battle, having been struck in the face by a part of a shell, and also had his ankle shattered by a splinter. Hle re- covered the use of his leg, however, entirely. March 17, 1813, he received from President Madison his commission as lieutenant colonel of the Thirty-second regiment, U. S. infantry, which was recruited in Delaware and Penn- sylvania, and on May 6, 1813, was transferred to the Forty-fourth regiment, of which he afterwards was made colonel. This regiment was recruited in Louisiana. He was placed in command of the defenses at Sandy Hook, which connuanded the entance to New York bay, and in 1814 was ordered to Albany, New York, as one of the judges of the court mar-

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tial for the trial of General William Hull, who had surrendered Detroit to the British in 1812.

On the completion of this duty he was odered to reform his regiment at Sandy Hook and proceed at once to New Orleans. On this march he passed through Wilmington, encamping for the night on a hill on William Warren's lands, abont one mile west of the city. They reached Wheeling, Va., the reg- iment marching on foot, and from that point were conveyed on flat-boats down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans, ar- riving there the day after the battle of that name, fought January 8, 1815. They were ordered to Fort St. Philip, one of the river defenses below New Orleans, to the command of which Colonel Davis was assigned. He re- mained in the army until 1819, when he finally resigned.

Struck by the exceeding beauty of his camping ground near Wilmington he came north soon after and purchased it, a house having in the meantime been built thereon, naming it "Delaware Place." He spent his summers here, going south in the winter to his plantations, until about 1830 when he be- came a citizen of Pennsylvania, living in Philadelphia, from which city he was elected a representative to the legislature for the ses- sions of 1831-32 and 32-33. In 1834 he was a candidate for congress, but being defeated, and his wife dying shortly thereafter, he re- moved permanently to his native state. IIe never held office here, although he always took an active interest in all political and pub- lic affairs.

In 1837 the state of Delaware presented him with a sword in recognition of his ser- vices during the war of 1812, a gift in which he justly took great pride.

In 1837 Col. S. B. Davis married Sally, daughter of Edward P., and Janette Jones, of Wilmington. He died September 6, 1854, after a short illness, and was buried in the Brandywine cemetery. By his first wife he had three children: I. Horatio; II. Alonzo; III. Oscar; and by his second, live: I. Dola- ware; II. Sussex D .; III. Kent D .; IV. Eliza- beth; V. Harriet.

Colonel Davis was a singularly handsome man, fully six feet three inches in stature, with a most winning smile and graceful and

courteous bearing. Ilis life had been full of event and incident, and gifted as he was with a vigorous intellect, strong memory and bril- liant powers of conversation, it was not strange that in his later days he should fre- quently be called on to entertain strangers of distinction. His residence, "Delaware Place," became the property of his sou Delaware, and subsequently was purchased by the Hon. Thomas F. Bavard.

In politics Colonel Davis was a strong Jackson Democrat, whose devotion to his country never faltered, and whose motto was that of his political leader, "The Union, it must and shall be preserved." By the peo- ple of Lewistown he was always held in the most grateful remembrance, and whenever he visited that place the citizens testified always their appreciation of his services by a salute from cannon.

WILLIAM F. GRIFFITH was born Au- gust 6, 1848. His father was Caleb Griffith, who died April 19, 1855. He was a man of great industry and great physical power, a good citizen, and died in his thirty-fifth year much regretted. His mother was Miss Mary Elizabeth Briscoe. His grandfather was Joseph Griffith.

William was the second son of his parents, and attended the public school until fifteen years of age, when he was sent to Newark academy under the direction of Professor E. D. Porter, and remained there for two years. At the expiration of this time he went West and resided in Indiana for one year, when he returned East. He then engaged in the oc- cupation of clerking in Easton, Talbot county, Md., which he continued until he re- turned to Newark and embarked in the mer- cantile business in the autumn of 1870.

Mr. Griffith was reared in the Baptist church to which his family has been attached from the early settlement of the Welsh tract; the first pastor of that church in this locality being a Thomas Griffith, of whom the Grif- fiths are lineal descendants. William F. Griffith was married February 27, 1871, to Miss Marianna, daughter of William II. and Susan A. Wilson, of Easton, Talbot county, Md.

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WASHINGTON JONES was bon in Wil- mington, January 5, 1818, son of the late William G. and Rachel (Walker) Jones. Ilis father, who was a cabinet maker, lived all his life in the house where he was born, and died there in his eighty-ninth year.

The great-grandfather of Mr. Jones came from Wales and was among the carly settlers of the Diamond state. His mother was from a substantial Pennsylvania family of Irish descent. Mr. Jones attended the schools of his native city as much as the delicate health of his childhood would permit. At the age of sixteen he became a clerk in a retail dry goods house in Philadelphia, and at eighteen went into a wholesale house in the same city. At the end of a year he returned to Wihning- ton, where he spent a year as a dry goods clerk, after which he became discount clerk in the bank of which he was for many years the honored president. In 1839 he engaged in the dry goods business on his own account, wrich he carried on prosperously until Jan- uary, 1858, when he disposed of it and as- sociated in partnership with Mr. Thomas II. Baynard, under the firm name of Baynard & Jones. They erected suitable works, and early in 1859 commenced the manufacture of morocco. Mr. Baynard died in 1864 and Mr. Jones assumed the control of the whole business, after which time it increased four- fold. In 1867 he associated with him Mr. Daniel Post Price and his son, Charles Rice Jones, under the firm name of W. Jones & C'o., and in 1873 another son, William Gid- con Jones was admitted to the firm. The business done by this establishment was one of the largest of its class in the country. They imported their own skins from Calcutta and sumae from Sicily. Their goods, which were exclusively for first-class boots and shoes, were sold in all parts of the United States. Mr. Jones was an active member of the See- ond Baptist church of Wilmington, and held nearly every official lay-position. He was for many years the president of the board of trustees, and was treasurer of the church for seventeen years. He took an active and leading part in collecting the funds to ereel the beautiful church edifice at the northeast corner of Fourth and French streets, and was himself one of the leading contributors. He superintended the Sabbath school for fifteen

years and was for many years a deacon.

Washington Jones was married in 1841 to Miss Margaret Wilson, daughter of Mr. Washington Rice, a prominent and highly re- spected citizen and a leading grocer of Wil- mington. The four children of this union were: I. Emna D. (Mrs. Win. W. Lobdell); II. Charles R .; III. Margaret R. (Mrs. D. S. Cresswell, of Philadelphia); IV. William G.

Mrs. Jones died October 4, 1834. In 1856 Mr. Jones married Emma W. Stager, of Phil- adelphia, and they had one child, Lizzie S. Jones (Mrs. N. B. Danforth). Mr. Jones was a projector of many of the enterprises that have contributed to the material prosperity of the city. Among them are the Franklin cotton factory and the Wilmington Coal Gas Co., in each of which he became a director. Ile was the only surviving director of those who obtained a charter of the gas company in 1852.

Ile was also an active promoter of various new railroad enterprises, and held positions of trust and responsibility in connection with them. A few years after he resigned his clerkship in the bank of Wilmington and Brandywine, he was elected a director, and held that position, with short intervals, for many years. He became president of the bank in 1868. Mr. Jones was one of the most careful and far-seeing of business men. His active enterprise and sound judgment not only advanced his own interests, but his lib- eral publie spirit contributed largely to the substantial and permanent growth of his na- tive city.

IION. JACOB MOORE was born at Laurel, Sussex county, November 21, 1829. Ilis father, Louther Taylor Moore, was a mer- chant of that place for nearly half a century, and died after an active life of three-score and ten years. His mother was Eliza S., daughter of Isaac Wootten. She died in 1863 aged fifty-eight years. But three of their twelve children lived to maturity.

After completing his preparatory studies in 1846 Jacob Moore entered Union college, Schenectady, N. Y., of which the celebrated Eliphalet Nott was president, and after a full four years' course, graduated with the degree of B. A. in 1850. His studies had been pros-

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eeuted with the view to fitting himself for the legal profession, and after graduating he chose Georgetown as his residence, and Hon. Iaward Wootten, one of the associate judges of Delaware, as his preceptor. An apt, per- severing and hard-working student he com- pleted his legal studies in three years, and af- ter passing an excellent examination was ad- mitted to practice in all the courts of the state in April 1853.

Well equipped for the struggle, and pos- sessing a determination to succeed he achiev- ed immediate and constantly increasing suc- cess, and soon stood in line with the foremost and best lawyers of the state. Not only his mastery of legal lore, but also his thorough literary training, personal magnetism and in- defatigable industry contributed toward the rapid strides he made in his profession. He was a close student and hard worker, and not unfrequently the rising sun found him where the setting sun left him, still pondering over some knotty legal problem submitted to him for solution, and patiently and thoroughly working out and building up his case. This constant and intelligent application to his work soon brought its certain reward, for at home, throughout the state, and in some of the eastern shore counties of Maryland it created for him a clientage so large that to meet its demands seemed an impossible task. A wise thoughtful and discreet counsellor, he was even more successful as an advocate, and by the careful arrangement and skillful hand- ling of his case, by presenting his facts clearly and concisely, by logical argument and impassioned oratory, he was probably best known and most admired.

Mr. Moore was actively identified with the Democratic organization from his youth until . the assault upon Fort Sumpter, when, believ- ing that his party on the great question of the day was wrong, he became a Republican. Ilis loss to the Democratic party was gener- ally recognized, and the gain to the Republi- cans was made still more manife-t, for he im- mediately became an acknowledged leader among his new political associates. He made powerful Union speeches throughout the state and under the inspiration of his eloquence no small part of Delaware's quota in the army was secured. He assumed his new party ro- lations in the face of Democratie promises of

high political offices and honors that could and probably would have been fulfilled had he remained with them, but he answered first and last that he preferred country to political preferment, and that so long as he believed the Republican party was the only instru- mentality through which treason could be punished and the Union preserved, he should continue to act with and work for it regard- less of personal aggrandizement.

His legal business also suffered severely be- cause of his change of party relations, his clients principally being Democrats; but this state of affairs was short-lived, and soon his practice began to grow and increase until large proportions were reached. At the very outbreak of the war he saw the necessity of promulgating in every way possible, the prin- ciples and purposes of the Republican party, and in connection with William, afterwards Governor Cannon, connneneed the publica- tion in Georgetown of The Union, a weekly paper. Mr. Moore did most of the editorial work, and by the crisp, vigorous manner of his writing, soon gained for the paper a large circulation, and made it a great help to the Republican cause in southern Delaware.

In the summer of 1862 he was a delegate to the state Republican convention and nomi- nated William Cannon for governor. At first there was considerable opposition to Mr. Moore's choice and several other candidates were named, but he plead the cause of Mr. Cannon with such force that he was nomi- nated almost by acclamation. The wisdom of the selection was fully demonstrated in the following fall, when Mr. Cannon was elected.

In 1863 the Sixth Delaware regiment was organized in Sussex county, largely through Mr. Moore's influence. He joined it as a private, but was soon elected lieutenant-colo- nel. Soon after the organization of the reg- iment it was assigned to guard duty on the line of the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Bal- timore railroad, in Maryland, and later was stationed at Fort Delaware. Colonel Moore was mustered out at the expiration of his term of service, and September 3, 1864, was commissioned attorney general of Delaware for the term of five years. Ilis appointment to this office was the second time a lawyer of the same name had been called to discharge it's important duties. Hon. Jacob Moore,

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from whom Colonel Moore was probably de- scended, was appointed attorney general of the three counties on Delaware in 1774. His commission, the original copy of which is still preserved, reads as follows: "The Hon. John Penn, Esq., Governor and Commander in Chief of the counties of New Castle, Kent and Sussex on Delaware, and of the Province of Pennsylvania; To Richard Me William, keeper of the Great Seal of said counties, Es- quire, greeting: These are to authorize and require you to affix the said seal to a commis- sion tested by me, and bearing even date herewith, appointing Jacob Moore, Esquire, Attorney General of and for the government of the counties aforesaid; and for so doing, this shall be your warrant. Given under my Hand and Seal at Arms, at New Castle, the twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sev- enty-four. JOHN PENN.

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Biographical and genealogical history of the state of Delaware, Vol. II, Part 93

Author: Runk, J.M. & Co Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Chambersburg, Pa. Number of Pages: 1500

Author: Runk, J.M. & Co
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chambersburg, Pa.
Number of Pages: 1500